Traveling stairway.



(No Model.)

Patented Oc t. 22, l90l. l. H. VENN.

TRAVELING STAIRWAY.

(Application filed Aug, 21, 1901.\

2 Sheets Sheet I.

' 5 vanroz No. 685,0l9. Patented Oct. 22, l90l.

l. H. VENN. TBA'VELING' STAIRWAY.

7 (Application filed Aug. 21, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Fig.3.

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isAAc HAMBLETON VENN, or YONKERS, New YORK, ASSIGNOR TO OTIS ELEVATORcoMPAn Y, or EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TRAVELING STAIIRWAY.

s'rscrrrcarron forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,019, dated October22, 1901. Application filed August 21, 1901. Serial No. 72,792. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Isaac HAMBLETON VENN, a citizen of the'UnitedStates, residing at Yonkersjn the county of Westchester and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful'lmprovements in TravelingStairways, of which the followingis aspecification. My'invention relatesto that class of traveling stairways in which a series of steps arelinked together in a continuous chain; and my invention consists ofmeans whereby the steps may be carried either in a horizontal plane orin a spiral course while making use of steps having treads of uniformwidth and while maintaining the contact of the rear edges of the treadswith the risers, as fully set forth hereinafter, and as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates in sectionfour of the steps of the chain of steps, two traveling on a horizontalplane at onelevel and two raised to travel around a short curve onto ahorizont'al plane at another level. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a sectional plan showing two of the steps, the risers and treadsremoved, in the positions which they occupy when traveling in a spiralcourse and illustrating the link connection. spective diagrammatic viewillustrating different courses which may be taken by a series of stepsconstituting my improved traveling stairway.

Each step A has two side pieces 1 1, a trend 2, and a riser 3, and theside pieces extend 'below the riser and are provided with shafts orstuds 4 for supporting a flanged wheel 5 at each end of the step, thetreads and risers extending beyond the side pieces, so that the wheelsmay not project beyond. the treads. Intermediate the supporting-wheels 5are wheels 7 upon shafts 8, which are at an angle to the shafts 4, sothat the wheels 7 will occupy proper positions to rest upon a centralrail 9 whether the traveling chain of steps is upon the straight or'thecurved section of the track.

When the steps are upon a straight portion of the track, the treads willbe flush with each other; but as any step is carried onto a curvedportion of the track it must swing in relation to the adjacent step uponthe straight Fig. 4 is a per-- portion, and in order to permit thiselevation and swinging of the steps I employ flexible end connections inthe form of links, each consisting of a plurality of. parts or sectionsconnected by a universal joint. The links at the outer ends are in twosections 12 13, the section 12 upon the shaft or stud of the wheel 5 andthe section 13 upon the shaft 8. The inner links consist each tr threesections 14: 15 16, the section 16 upon the shaftorstud supporting thewheel 5 and the section 14 on the shaft or stud supporting the wheel 5of the next step, while the section 15 is jointed between the sections14: 16, so as to permit of the twisting action which results from bothelevating and swinging the step. Any other suitable character of linkagethat will secure the same result may be employed.

As any step is lifted and at the sametime swung, as described, the edgeof the tread nearest the next lower step is carried away from the latterat the outer end and is can ried over the tread of the lower step at theinner end, and therefore to maintain the con- ,riser of that which iselevated the said riser is curved outward away from the tread at theouter end and gradually increased in curvature and carried back towardthe opposite end, as shown.

nections at the outer ends of the steps from that at the inner ends andby the use of the curved and twisted risers described I am enabled toprovide the steps with treads of uniform width which lie flush with eachother when the steps are horizontal and the center lines of whichcoincide with radii having the same center when the steps are upon anincline, while the risers and the treads are always in contact. A seriesof steps thus connected may be employed effectively in a travelingstairway where the steps are carried in a spiral course, as well-as in astraight course .as indicated in Fig. 4, where a portion of the stairwayis shown as traveling in in a straight course and downward and forwardand in a curved course back to the bottom of the spiral portion.

Any suitable means may be employed for tact of the edge of the lowerstep with the By the described diiference in flexible cona spiral courseto the highest point and then ZOO impartinginotion to thechain of steps,and

' as such means are well known I have notshown the same.

\Vithontilimiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown,

I claim as my invention---' '1. In a traveling stairway, a series of.flexisubstantially as set forth. 7

2. In a traveling stairway, a series of steps each havingfa tread of'uniform width and a curved riser, said curve increasing and extendingfarther inward below the tread toward the inner end of the step, andflexible connections at each end of the-steps, those at the inner endsof the steps being longer than those at theouter ends, substantially asset 20 forth. y v '3. "In a traveling stairway, a series of steps ea'chhaving a tread of uniform width and a curved riser, said, curveinpreasing a d extendingfarther inward below the tread t Ward thei'nnerend of the step; and nniversal'jointed link connections at eachend of the steps, those at the-inner ends of the steps being 10nger thanthose at the outer ends, substantially as set forth.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC HAMBLETON VENN.

Witnesses:

HENRY H. HOLMSTROM, ROLAND R. DENNIS.

